PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference revealed its preseason honors and prognostications for the 2026-27 season, with three members of the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team receiving Preseason All-GNAC honors.
The trio of Cassie Chesnut, Rae Smart, and Layla Baumann were selected for preseason recognition by the conference's coaches. Chesnut and Smart earned selections heading into their sophomore seasons after big performances in their first seasons with the Yellowjackets, while Baumann earned preseason all-conference honors for the second consecutive season.
The reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year, Chesnut comes into the 2026-27 season with big expectations after leading the Yellowjackets in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season. Chesnut averaged 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 steals last season, earning All-GNAC Second Team honors in addition to her Freshman of the Year award. Chesnut would also be named the MVP of the GNAC Championships, helping lead the Yellowjackets on their run to the conference tournament crown where she averaged 21.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
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"Cassie improved tremendously during her freshman season a year ago and played her best basketball down the stretch and in the post-season," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "She has established herself as a scoring threat both the perimeter and in the paint and she has become a consistent force on the boards. I look for her to play even better this year and establish herself as one of the top players in our league and region."
Smart likewise played a big role for the Yellowjackets in the team's GNAC Tournament-winning campaign, starting all 35 games for the 'Jackets and averaging 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals a game. Smart would also be named to the GNAC Championships All-Tournament Team, where she increased her averages to 12.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Smart would also break the conference record for offensive rebounds in a single game last season, pulling down 13 offensive boards in a contest against Alaska Anchorage last year.
"Like Cassie, Rae played her best basketball down the stretch," Woodin said. "And then she went right into an outdoor track season and became an All-American in the javelin, which was truly remarkable. I feel fortunate to coach her and I appreciate her versatility, intensity, and burning desire to compete."
A preseason favorite last season for MSUB, Baumann will return to the court for the Yellowjackets after a preseason injury cut her 2025-26 season short. The senior from Billings was off to a flying start in that preseason, leading MSUB in scoring in each of their preseason games last season. In her last full campaign, Baumann would average 7.0 points a game, shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc while adding in 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
"Layla's injury last year was unfortunate," remarked Woodin. "It is exciting for both her and her team to have her again at full strength. She is a tremendous competitor and hard worker, and Layla's leadership and all-around abilities make our team better every day."
The trio will help lead MSUB into the regular season next week, with the 'Jackets picked fourth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Yellowjackets, who collected 68 total points, are coming off a 20-15 overall record last season, with their 9-9 mark seeing the team tie for fifth in last year's GNAC standings. The team would enter the GNAC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, becoming the first six seed in conference tournament history to win the GNAC Championship.
"Pre-season rankings are nice to read about but aren't important in the total scheme of things," said Woodin. "Last year, we had almost an entire new roster and we were ranked 4th in the pre-season poll which was too high. This year we are still young but a lot more experienced. The GNAC is one of the best conferences in the nation and the depth of teams in our league is outstanding. We hope to be in the thick of the conference race, and we want to secure a GNAC tournament berth as early as possible, but we understand there are no guarantees and everything must be earned."
GNAC preseason coaches poll
- Western Washington (4) – 93 points
- Central Washington (4) – 88 points
- Saint Martin's – 73 points
- MSU Billings – 68 points
- Northwest Nazarene (1) – 63 points
- Alaska Anchorage (1) – 61 points
- Western Oregon – 44 points
- Simon Fraser – 31 points
- Seattle Pacific – 28 points
- Alaska Fairbanks – 10 points
The Yellowjackets will play their second exhibition game next Tuesday, October 27 against their crosstown rival Rocky Mountain College, with the game set to start at 7 p.m. at the Fortin Center. The 'Jackets will then head to Washington to take part in the CWU Tipoff Classic, playing three games between October 30-November 1. A full look at MSUB's 2026-27 schedule can be found online here.
